The Hare Marches On
by CalypsoKitsune
Summary: Amilee is not a normal mage. Actually she wasn't supposed to even be here. Hailing from our world, she was dragged forth to discover a new land, new friends, and a new purpose. Now she accompanies her old friend, Wynne, on her quest to Adamant. Little does she know Fate is about to throw another wrench in her plan. "I'm not a wrench. I'm Cole." (Prequel to The Hare and The Hatter)
1. Chapter 1

**I own nothing of Dragon Age.**

**A/N: This was supposed to be Part Three of the whole story with my OC but as of right now, it's a stand alone. The last chapter of The Hare Swallowed Whole, it will be obvious why. (After four years, my mojo is no longer there, sorry) **

**My character will fill in the blanks as to what happened in between, so that nobody is lost. This is a slow buildup, hang in there for the first couple chapters.**

**Yes, this is eventually going to turn into a romance. While this part will not portray it, it is for those who have that particular interest because Colemance dammit! You won't be disappointed.**

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_9:38 Dragon- White Spire Gathering Hall_

All eyes of those in the room turned to the doors as two figures entered. An elderly woman walked in, in a robe of blue silk and a regal white cloak that swept along the floor behind her. Her gray hair was tied up into a matronly bun, but it was easy to see she had once been a beautiful woman. A white wolf fitted with a ornate, black armored harness padded silently next to her, it's startling blue-green eyes surveying the room with an unnatural intelligence.

The woman needed no introduction, for every mage in the hall knew of her: Wynne, archmage and hero of the Blight in Ferelden nine years before. The wolf only seemed to add audacious testament to her magical prowess, it's appearance mildly intimidating to those who'd never encountered such a beast. Despite this, Wynne received no hero's welcome here. There was a brief moment of polite applause, but most of the crowd was shocked into silence.

The wolf sat to Wynne's right, watching it's mistress with contentment as she began her speech to the mages of the White Spire. With what had happened in Kirkwall a year prior, the disbanding of the College of Enchanters, and the recent attempt on the Divine Justinia V, the Circles had stirred up a call for action, before the templars would attempt to quell them permanently.

For a time, all that was heard was Wynne's voice, echoing through the hall, but her attempts to promote patience in such dire times did not succeed. One male Enchanter stood to speak out, offended by her words, as did others soon after. When it was clear her presence would be of no further use, the hall breaking out into dozens of verbal confrontations, she calmly left with the First Enchanter and her silent companion.

Not twenty minutes later, Wynne and her wolf were received by Lord Seeker Lambert and Knight Captain Evangeline as they waited for Wynne's son, Rhys, to appear.

The two templars eyed the wolf with suspicion and Lambert got up the nerve to ask about it. "I never heard of you having an affinity for animals. How did you obtain this beast?"

Smiling softly, Wynne patted the wolf on the head, then replied, "I received Amilee from a friend about two years ago. The runes on her armor bind her to me as well as enhance her with speed and intelligence."

This peaked the Lord Seeker's interest. "Can she be trained to follow others?"

"I am not certain," Wynne answered cryptically.

Before the man could press further, the Enchanter who had spoken out first against Wynne and a female mage entered the room.

Wynne stood, her gaze cool and appraising. "Hello Rhys," she said quietly.

"Hello Mother," he replied.

The Lord Seeker cleared his throat, shooting a disapproving glare at Rhys. "I'm informed you caused quite the disturbance in the hall."

"Isn't that why I'm here?"

"It's not. Enchanter Wynne requested your presence after the assembly was finished. Why did you think you were allowed out of your cell?" Rhys seemed taken aback by that. The man looked at the other mage and frowned. "She did not, however, request the attendance of anyone else."

"I invited myself," the female mage said defiantly.

"It is no bother," Wynne interrupted before the Lord Seeker could retort.

He eased back in his chair, clenching his jaw in silent fury. "Do what you came to do," he said through gritted teeth.

Wynne nodded, satisfied, and turned to Rhys once again. "I'm afraid there's nowhere for either of you to sit," she began, searching about the room as if expecting chairs to suddenly materialize.

"I can stand," he said. "What's this about?"

"I need your help."

"My help?" Rhys glanced at the Lord Seeker, and then Ser Evangeline, but their faces revealed nothing to him. "What could you need my help for? And why would I offer it?"

"Would you rather go back to the dungeons?" the Lord Seeker interjected.

Rhys remained silent and Amilee inwardly cringed in sympathy at the thought of being locked away.

She'd heard enough stories to last a lifetime of the horrors some mages went through in the Circle, although her brief conversations with her adopted sister Bethany alleviated some of her fears. If she herself were ever to be captured, she knew the templars would kill her outright, being unable to fully reign her power or make her tranquil. Which is why she felt the form she was in would suffice to help Wynne and keep Amilee's existence secret from the templars.

Wynne merely nodded at Rhys, as if she had expected his response all along. "An old friend of mine has been turned into an abomination," she began. "I intend a rescue, and that means going into the Fade to wrest control from the demon that has possessed him. It's a difficult task, and not one I can do alone. I'll need you to come with me to help perform the ritual."

The Lord Seeker let out an angry growl and slammed his fist down on the desk. "You said nothing about taking Enchanter Rhys from the tower!"

"Nor did I need to, until now."

"Have you forgotten about the attack upon the Divine? This man is involved, and I cannot allow him to leave. I will not."

"I thought you might say that." She reached into a pocket in her white cloak and produced a simple scroll, the wax seal bearing the symbol of the Chantry. The Lord Seeker snatched it away with a scowl. Breaking the seal, he unrolled the scroll and read.

"As you can see for yourself, the Divine has given me full authority to perform my mission as I see fit." She smiled slightly. "And I see fit to take Enchanter Rhys with me. He is a spirit medium, after all, and thus his abilities will prove useful."

After a little more debate and the revelation that a Tranquil had somehow been turned abomination, Rhys, as well as the female mage, Adrian, agreed to Wynne's request. The Knight-Captain had also been assigned to accompany them, as Lambert seemed wrought with suspicion of Wynne's intentions, so far as her son was concerned.

While Wynne had originally planned on Amilee being her third mage for the endeavor, Amilee could see the determination in Adrian's eyes as well as the danger of revealing herself in the presence of a templar. She was thankful Wynne recognized and adapted to the situation appropriately.

After briefing the lot that they would be leaving in the morning, Wynne waited for Rhys and Adrian to depart before excusing herself as well. Amilee followed, knowing full well the hairs on her back stood due to the Lord Seeker's studious gaze.

When they reached the visitor's quarters, Wynne sighed as she removed her white cloak, hanging it on a rack near the wardrobe. She sat on the lounge chair and groaned softly, turning to Amilee. "Well, this day was far from fruitful in quelling the mages fears, but at least my plans for our journey are set. It seems fate is being kind today."

Amilee made a coughing noise akin to a scoff and walked over to Wynne. When the elder mage touched one of the runes lying toward the base of her wolf's head, Amilee spoke into her mind. "_Seeing the Lord Seeker squirm was quite humorous. He needs a bit of humbling, he is far too controlling for my taste. But I digress, I am glad too that things are working in our favor. I do not wish to linger here longer than necessary._"

Wynne smiled and caressed her fur absently. "I know. You know I don't mind if you decided to part ways soon. I have my two mages for this rescue. With what little you've confided in me about your venture back to Kirkwall, I have to wonder why you've stood by me thus far. The longer you stay the greater chance the templars find you. And you've more than earned a much needed rest, my dear."

"_I will leave after we finish at Adamant, when I am certain you are safe._" She huffed as if insulted. "_I will not abandon you halfway through this._"

"Selfless child. You are too kind." Pausing to cover a yawn, the old mage sighed, "That being said, let us be off to bed. This old woman needs her beauty sleep."

* * *

When the three mages, the Knight-Captain, and the wolf left Val Royeaux, it became clear that Wynne was in no rush to get to their destination. Amilee walked by the horses at first, amused by Evangeline's attempts to make conversation about the mission, but the thrill of being outside the city again sang through her wolf's body and she scouted ahead, returning every few minutes to reassure herself she didn't lose them on the busy road.

When they stopped at an inn for supplies, the place teeming with people, Amilee stuck close to Wynne, choosing to ignore the quiet conversation she was having with Rhys, although the animosity from her son was palpable. From what Wynne had told her, Rhys was resentful of her indifference to him over the past few years. But she had reasons and Amilee couldn't fault her for them.

As they continued their journey farther and farther, tensions began to build between everyone.

Amilee didn't really care. She found contentment in her self given exile, freed from the need to speak, to involve herself and connect with people simply because they were there. She had concocted the idea to take on an animal form shortly after she'd met up with Wynne after the incident in Kirkwall, certain that she would only hinder the older woman's movements by flaunting her apostate freedom. No doubt it would've incurred the wrath of templar and mage alike.

With Wynne and Shale's help, they uncovered a transformation spell that would give Amilee a wolf form. While the elder mage preached the need to maintain the Circle of Magi, she knew Amilee could never belong in it because of her unique gift.

As a wolf, people looked upon her most times with fear, others with mild curiosity. But Wynne's opinion was the only one she cared for. They'd first met during the Blight, at the Circle in Ferelden, while she had been accompanying Aedan Cousland and his party. The elder mage was kindly and wise. She and Amilee had spent many nights after conversing about their different 'conditions'.

Wynne retained a spirit of faith inside her. It had saved her life at the Circle where she had been cut down by a demon. Amilee was not unfamiliar with such an occurrence and accepted the older woman quite readily. They'd become steadfast friends from then on.

Of course Amilee's gift was far more complicated and much more dangerous. When she'd first come to Thedas, she had appeared in Tevinter, while a group of magisters had been attempting to summon a horde of demons from an eluvian. Months later, when the leader of these magisters attempted to bind her mind with blood magic, the spell backfired, turning her into a living sponge for mana. The demon he had summoned for power became a pure source for Amilee, and consequentially, the demon disappeared and the magister was blown apart by a shockwave of force.

Overtime, Amilee discovered this wasn't a one time fluke. She could siphon power from other mages too, as well as unprocessed lyrium, although the amount was far less intense. When she had been smuggled to Kirkwall, she was adopted into the Hawke family, and he and their friends helped her learn to control her power.

But such power had come with a great cost... She diverted from her memories, as she didn't like to think about it anymore.

The first few nights of the journey, it had started to rain and Amilee choose to lay with Wynne to help her keep warm in the dreary cold. It was then, during the second night, when all had gone quiet, she'd begun to feel an ever so soft hum, barely discernible from the vibrations of the rain on the ground. For a while she focused on it, deciding it was perhaps a thin part of the Veil nearby she was detecting, though somehow it was oddly calming. It's continued presence eventually lulled her to sleep.

The third day, she'd spotted a figure following far back behind them, and wondered if she should investigate. But as far back as the person was, she decided there was no point as long as they kept distance.

On the fourth night, she'd been required to take refuge near the inn the others had retreated to for the night, the bad weather having chased them inside.

Oddly, it was only about an hour later, after hearing shouts from inside, that her wards came out and went around back to sleep in the stables. She stayed by the entrance, knowing they would need a look out for those with intent to harm. Another hour passed and Rhys came sneaking down from the loft.

He froze when he spotted her, but she merely stood and moved to the side of the door, showing she would not raise the alarm. In fact, she followed him, despite his curious glances down at her from time to time. It seemed to be that the man was looking for something.

They wandered the streets for a few minutes, stepping quietly so as not to draw attention. Suddenly, she caught movement in the dark, as the hum inside her had strengthened ever so slightly, enough to make her realize it had been there the whole time. The sensation sang along her spine, calling her closer to whatever was causing it. Seconds later, Rhys spotted the same shadow and dashed after the silhouette that had made for an alley between two darkened shops.

They turned the corner and there, crouched by the wall, was a young man. Poor thing looked like a drowned rat, blond hair plastered against his face and his leathers drenched black. He seemed frightened of Rhys as he shivered miserably from the cold.

"Cole," Rhys sighed and Amilee glanced over to see that the man had his staff drawn. She was offended by this as the boy looked to be unarmed, but chose to ignore him, instead focusing on this Cole.

"I'm sorry," the boy moaned.

Amilee whimpered in confusion and the mage glared at her, "Hush now."

Turning back to Cole, he asked, "Did you follow us all the way from the tower? What, in Andraste's name, are you even doing here?"

The young man rubbed his shoulders, teeth chattering. "I had to come. I had to warn you, but I was afraid..."

"Warn me?"

"I saw the Knight-Captain speaking with a man, a frightening man in black armor. He told her that if you found something, nobody else could know about it." Cole looked up at him, his expression filled with concern. "I couldn't let anything happen to you. You're my only friend! I just... I was so afraid that you'd never..." He buried his head between his knees, misery overtaking him.

Amilee couldn't stand it. She padded over to him and whimpered once more, startling the young man. His watery gaze snapped up, holding fear and bewilderment, as she cuddled up to him and nuzzled his cheek, willing him to calm.

He gasped and embraced her, burying his face in the fur of her neck, his need for warmth and comfort outweighing his fear.

"You came all this way to tell me that?" Rhys continued.

"Yes," Cole said, as he looked up again. "I was so scared I might lose sight of you, and I wouldn't be able to find my way back. I'd be lost forever. I didn't realize it would be so far!"

Rhys followed Amilee's suit, crouching at the boy's left side. She felt Cole flinch and then he realized that Rhys wasn't going to attack him. He released her to clutch desperately at his friend, holding him tight.

After a few moments passed, Rhys said, "Cole, you have to go back."

The young man disengaged from the mage and Amilee could see the hurt. "I can't."

"Yes, you can. If you found one of the main roads, it should lead you straight back to Val Royeaux. It's a hard city to miss."

"I need to protect you!"

Amilee was at a total loss as to what exactly was going on, but she knew the boy seemed hardly able to fend for himself, let alone protect another person. His arms were now clinging to her for dear life and she had the insane urge to change so she could do the same to him.

Rhys patted the man's shoulder sympathetically. "It's enough that you've warned me. I can take care of myself, Cole."

"No, you can't. They took you away to the dungeons, and I should never have let them. I should have listened to you! I should have gone with you. I'm so sorry!"

"We can deal with that when I get back to the tower."

"No." Cole released Amilee, backed away, and stood up. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I won't let them hurt you again." Without another word, he turned and ran off into the darkness.

Amilee made a soft bark of protest, looking between Rhys and where Cole had run. The hum had dampened once more and it was then she knew it's source was from the young man. Inwardly she cringed. It was admittedly like being around Anders, only it was a simple, tranquil feeling, not a buzzing tingle that raised her energy level. This did not deter her instinct to run after Cole, however, and her body tensed to do just that.

"Let him be for now," Rhys said quietly. "Wynne would be cross if you disappeared on her." With a great sigh he continued, "It seems he won't be deterred, for now. I imagine you will have more time to befriend him, seeing as you have this much concern."

She cocked her head to look up at the mage, ears pricking toward him at his words, and he smiled wryly, "You are more than she says you are, aren't you?"

In light of the fact he was a mage, she was tempted to show him exactly how much more. But in doing so, she would need Wynne's help to turn back and she preferred to keep her silence a while longer. So she remained thus, simply staring at him.

The mage sighed again and they traveled back the way they came. Lo and behold, Evangeline stood waiting for them, or rather for Rhys, at the stable doors.

Amilee feigned ignorance as she listened to the templar reprimand him and he confided in her about Cole. Evangeline was less than impressed by his reason for wandering out into the night, but in the end, the subject was dropped to give way for their much needed rest.

All the while she'd sat there, Amilee remained on the lookout for the lonely boy, longing to feel the hum of his presence once more. She realized that she was being irrational. But while she was very hesitant to trust her heart again, she of all people knew destiny was not something she could deter. Whatever awaited her next, Cole was somehow going to be a part of it. Suffice it to say, she didn't sleep very well that night.

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**Please read Dragon Age Asunder, it is an amazing book that I'm attempting not to mangle. I purposefully have this part short in chapters, the descriptive paragraphs from the book reworded, and in Amilee's perspective only, so I don't reveal so much of the original story.**

**I also did not choose the wolf form in reference to Solas, she simply chose that particular form because any other form would have either seemed too outlandish to have walking around a city or less useful in battle.**

**If certain elements seem out of place or timeframes are off, let me know. **

**And if you're a fan of The Hare Swallowed Whole, I apologize, but just think of this as an alternate route for the story line.**

**Reviews and favorites welcome!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I own nothing of Dragon Age. Just Amilee.**

**I have no idea if this will be hard to follow or not. The back story will come, little by little, but let me know if I'm not explaining well.**

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Long ago, Amilee had realized that if someone cast dispel upon her, it lessened the strength of her gift enough for her to control it. Sandal, that sweet little dwarf of enchantment, had taken a chuck of red lyrium and made her a dispelling runestone while he had resided at the Hawke mansion. While the others were afraid of the stuff, Amilee wasn't effected by any strange music. It simply made her more powerful.

After Anders had blown up the Chantry, however, the Hawke party had been forced to take on Knight-Commander Meredith and her red lyrum sword. Unfortunately, Amilee's dispel rune reacted badly with the sword and the resonance threw her back in time. Crazy stuff like that seemed to be a constant side effect of her life.

When Alistair and the Hero of Ferelden had found Amilee in the Kocari wilds, she had gladly joined them in their quest to defeat the Archdemon. It was then she'd discovered yet another uniqueness that set her apart from the norm. She was immune to the Blight.

Duncan and Alistair were beyond shocked when she'd simply thrown up the blood she had swallowed at the Joining, unaltered by the attempted ingestion. Aedan Cousland was the only other to survive the ritual, becoming a full fledged Grey Warden. Duncan had been adamant about keeping Amilee with them after the defeat of the Archdemon, certain the secrets in her blood would be the key to curing the Blight. But after he had died, the notion was quickly dispersed from their minds.

The whole of the journey to fulfill the accords and recruit people for the coming battle had been taxing, but by the end of it all, Amilee had become quite adept at fighting as a rogue, not just a mage. She had also concocted an elaborate plan to change the future of Thedas, and in turn, her past. If only she'd realized what the outcome would have been...

Amilee shook herself out of her memories as her current companions finished packing up and they set off again. The weather was blessedly calm, but the dynamic between the party members had become agitated, an uneasy silence falling amongst them.

At first the tension was only between Evangeline and Rhys, due to events the night before, but that evening when they camped, Rhys had confided in the other two mages about Cole as well. Adrian got very angry, accusing the boy of some murders at the Spire. When Rhys didn't not deny this, everyone became distraught, including her. Harsh words flew and suggestions that Cole could be a demon left a bad taste in Amilee's mouth.

She got up and left the group to their silly squabbling and trotted off into the night in search for the young man. He wasn't a demon, of that she was certain. A spirit perhaps, but not one that was susceptible to her power, otherwise she would sense herself drawing off that negative energy. She wasn't really capable of communicating this with Wynne while the others were around, so she couldn't blame her for her assumption of Cole's nature. But she refused to believe it.

The murders, on the other hand, did concern her. It didn't seem like a young man of Cole's personality to retain bloodlust and from the way Rhys had spoken of him, he was torn between his friendship for Cole and the need to clear his name. There had to be more to it than simple murder. She'd been wrong before, but unlike the others, she would reserve judgment until after she investigated herself.

The hum had been dim at first, but as she backtracked the path they had come, it intensified until she spotted him huddled down under an old oak tree. He looked up and saw her, as if sensing her presence as well, and froze.

Time stood still as their eyes met, pale blue eyes versus aquamarine, neither moving, seemingly in fear of scaring off the other.

Finally, he broke the spell. "Hello."

She ambled over to him slowly, still uncertain as to whether or not he would flee from her. But he remained still, his gaze unwavering on her. She sat down near him, lifting her paw to place on his leg, gauging his reaction.

When he didn't move away she laid down, her head in his lap, allowing him to timidly run his hand along her head.

"I've never met a wolf before," he said with a start. "I didn't think they were so nice."

Huffing in response, she scooted closer, sharing her warmth with him. He was still damp from the night before and she could feel the cold of autumn had set in his body through his leathers. She didn't know how long they stayed like that, but the more they did, the more confident he became with his touch upon her.

It was an odd sensation, to be scratched behind the ears, along the scruff of her neck above her armor. It was akin to the feel of a hairbrush being dragged gently through your hair, just concentrated in a smaller area. It was soothing, along with the reverberation of serenity that she drew from him. So much so, that she began to doze off. It wasn't until he began speaking again, that she realized she had.

"Rhys doesn't understand. If I leave, that Knight-Captain could kill him. He wasn't there. He didn't see, didn't feel the wrongness of the man in the black armor." He shuddered and continued. "He's my only friend, I can't... I can't-"

He hung his head and Amilee sat up so he could wrap his arms around her once more. She waited patiently for the opportunity and as his hand encountered the rune at the base of her neck, she thought, "_It'll be alright, Cole._"

With a yelp he shrunk back from her, eyes wide in shock.

Unperturbed by this reaction, she calmly laid low to the ground, ears back submissively, and looked up at him, willing his fear to dissipate. When he calmed, she crawled to him, belly scraping the earth, and maneuvered his hand back onto her head.

Following her lead, he let his hand travel back to touch the rune once more.

"_It's okay, Cole. I won't hurt you._"

"What are you?" he whispered, wariness warring with curiosity.

"_My name is Amilee. I could be your friend too, if you want._"

"Amilee," he repeated, testing the name on his tongue. "You want to be my friend?"

"_I'd like that, yes. I want to help you._"

"Like Rhys wants to help me?" he questioned, brows drawn in confusion.

"_Not exactly. It's just, you're alone. You shouldn't be alone. Not like this._"

He seemed confounded by her attempted assurance, unable to respond for a time. "What do you mean, not like this?"

"_Not like... You're stumbling around like you're lost. Have you ever been on your own out here?_"

His face fell, dejected, as he admitted, "No. I haven't left the Spire since I got there. The templars... They left me in the cell and after a while I was able to get out. No one sees me. No one ever remembers me. Except Rhys... and now you." His head cocked to the side and his eyes cleared for a moment. "Warmth pressing, pulling to purify," he murmured, before shaking his head as if coming out of a trance. "What are you?"

"_I'm... different. I'm a special kind of mage. It's hard to explain. Templars wouldn't understand which is why I'm like this right now, so they don't discover me... So you say nobody sees you?_"

"I'm a ghost. I think. Rhys can see me, was my only friend for a long time. But hes afraid of me now. He wants to take me to the templars."

"_Because you killed people. Why did you kill them?_"

He hesitated, frowning in shame. "When I go to them, I know they will see me and I free them. The templars couldn't hurt them and they wouldn't feel pain anymore. It makes me feel real, keeps me from falling... It upset Rhys though. I don't like him angry with me. I'll try not to do it again, even if..." His eyes grew distant and dark at the latter part of the statement.

She nuzzled his neck to regain his attention. "_Shh. It's alright, we don't have to talk about it anymore._" Sniffing the air, she detected a sweet aroma. "_Are you hungry Cole?_"

"Yes," he replied morosely.

"_I will return, then. Give me a moment._"

She meandered back to the camp, as if she had simply been scouting the perimeter. Wynne had thought nothing of her absence, having retired to her tent for the night. The other two women couldn't be bothered by her, but Rhys eyed her as if he knew where she had gone, giving her a quirky smile.

Sniffing at the roasted pheasant they had set aside for her, she stared at Rhys as she picked it up, then disappeared once more into the night.

* * *

The next couple of days were quiet, the party seemingly too angry with Rhys to make small talk. Both evenings, Amilee had retreated from them, finding her way to Cole, and sharing her meal with him. She would lay beside him so he was warm as they slept through the night. They would talk for a bit, more so him than her, and she listened, letting him tell her what he could remember of his life at the Spire and encounters with Rhys.

Each time he explained a part of it, when he seemed to fall into despair, she would distract him; either sticking her cold nose in his face or, if his hand was on her rune, she would bring him back by singing a song and he would hug her in gratitude before falling to sleep, lulled by the sound of her voice. When they awoke, she would kiss his cheek in goodbye and wander back to the camp before the others woke.

Into the third day, as the four humans rode their horses, Amilee listened as Evangeline questioned Rhys out of the blue.

"Your invisible friend is behind us, I assume?" she asked incredulously.

"Where it not for our furred friend here wandering off suspiciously with her food every night, I wouldn't know. I don't see him."

Looking over her shoulder to narrow her eyes at Amilee, she replied, "You think the wolf is skulking off to share a meal with an invisible man?"

"She was with me the night I told you about him. She can see him too."

Doubt was evident in her features, until Amilee stared up at her and gave her a feral smile.

Wynne spoke, chastising, "Amilee, is that true?" She halted her horse to look down at her companion and everyone else followed suit.

"If the wolf is consorting with a demon, she could be possessed at any time," Adrian commented. "It could influence her, command her to kill us all in our sleep."

For the first time Amilee growled at them in protest, a low and dark sound that sent shivers up everyone's spine, save for Wynne. "Don't you take that tone, Amilee. Did you not hear me when I warned Rhys to stay away from this boy? He is dangerous."

_So am I_, Amilee thought. But unless she revealed herself now she could not defend her reasoning. It would probably make everything worse if she tried. All she could do was hold their gazes, unwavering in where she stood on the matter.

Adrian sneered, "If she's going to act like that, I'd say put her down now. Save us the trouble."

Shaking her head, Wynne continued, "What are you thinking? I understand you might pity the boy, but you're putting us in danger by encouraging him to follow."

Rhys finally interjected, "He was going to follow us either way. Never mind what she does. I'm sure she can sense a good person from evil. If she wishes to ease his journey, that's her choice."

Evangeline cast incredulous glances between Rhys and Wynne, "You have no room to talk. And you, are you seriously having this conversation with an animal?"

Sighing, the older woman stepped down from her horse and knelt down to hold Amilee, discreetly placing her hand on the rune.

"Are you sure about this?" she whispered. "I don't understand, but you know I would trust you."

Amilee nuzzled Wynne's neck in pretense, her reply quick. "_I know I can't convince you that he is innocent, but I cannot abandon him to the cold or starvation. You know I don't have it in me._"

There was a pause, then a great sigh. "Very well. Just... be careful." The old woman stood again and turned to the templar. "I will allow it, for now. If she shows signs of demonic influence, you have my permission to kill her."

"How very reassuring," Evangeline quipped in exasperation. "Let us be off then."

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	3. Chapter 3

**I own nothing of Dragon Age. Just Amilee.**

**Did I mention I've already finished most of this story? Yeah, I've finished most of this story. Pretty much editing and posting.**

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Several days passed, mediocre with little to no events, a blur of riding, eating, and small talk. The nights were peaceful though, filled with relaxing conversation and blessed sleep. it had been a long time, since Amilee had been able to find enjoyment simply being around someone. After some coaxing from the curious young man, Amilee opened up and revealed the whole of her past to Cole.

She explained how she was from another world, where there was no magic, no dwarves, or elves, or qunari. How she'd come to Tevinter, then to Kirkwall, and the start of her adventures with her new found friends and family. She'd had a relationship with Anders while in Kirkwall. Within the first year of her presence there they had fallen in love and remained together for almost four years. Then... he began to turn into Vengeance and, after an intense encounter with a band of abusive templars, he promptly left her. Thereafter they barely spoke, unable to be around each other without argument.

Instead she'd found comfort while having an intense relationship with Fenris, although it had been very brief. The white haired elf had become spiteful and resenting of things that had happened to him long before, killing someone when he'd promised not to, and then arguing with Amilee over her pity and lack of empathy. She hadn't understood how to be around people who did things like that. She had been young though. If it were now, she would probably have been more accommodating. Too little, too late, but that was her life in a nutshell.

And it would be a long life. It was years before she had figured it out, but she wasn't aging. She'd stopped growing at all when she'd come to Thedas. As far as she was aware, she was immortal as long as she maintained her power. So immortal, able to suck the life from a demon, travel through time, and a magnet for broken men. Her life was pretty screwed up.

The terrain around her current company changed from rolling hills and farmland, to wetlands littered with sparse vegitation, desolate and miserable.

Rhys and Amilee were now the black sheep of the group, ire for him over his friendship with Cole despite the knowledge of the murders and fear of Amilee coming back to attack them after her nightly visits to the young man.

Amilee remained uncaring. Their attachment to each other had become one of mutual comfort and familiarity, two people outside this world's definition of normal, alone save but for the few people that took the time to get to know them.

It was becoming increasingly difficult for Cole to keep up, granted by the fact that while the others were on horses, he only had his two legs to travel on. The last two nights she had encouraged him to walk further into the night, leading him on the right path lest he be lost in the wilderness for good. While he feared her forgetting about him, no matter her reassurance, she feared she would travel back one day unable to find him.

Part of her wished he had gone back, rather than follow. His loyalty to Rhys was something to admire though, having brought out his courage to travel so far in lands he was unfamiliar with, on his own, with no one to rely on save for a silly animal with too much heart. Amilee envied such loyalty, missing Varric and Garrett in those moments.

The group had reached the Approach, a cold, barren desert, and they pushed themselves farther in travel than anytime before. Every couple of hours Amilee would lag behind until she was well away and let off two great howls, praying Cole would hear them and stay on track.

As evening came upon them and they reached the first great tower, the only landmark that marked their path, quite near the Abyssal Rift. It was a great chasm that went down and down, as far as the Deep Roads... or perhaps deeper, no one knew exactly.

Wynne warned Amilee against going to find Cole as darkspawn roamed the sands and they needed her in case of defense. She feared for Cole but reminded herself he couldn't be seen by most people. Hoping the darkspawn wouldn't discover him, that he would be safe, she reluctantly stayed.

As she rested into the night, unable to fully sleep, she heard a sound off near the chasm and looked to see an enormous lightning spell cast off. She saw two of her wards were missing and jumped up to run as fast as her legs could carry her. She came upon Wynne and Rhys within moments. Rhys had fallen to the ground, an arrow protruding from his chest, trying in vain to stay conscious.

As Wynne held off two darkspawn with her elemental magic, Amilee guarded the old woman's back and her son. She tore her fangs into the leg of one that came up behind Wynne, using her unnatural strength to drag and toss it over the side of the rift. Another came up behind Rhys to attack and Amilee tackled the creature to the ground and chewing into its neck until it bled out.

When Adrian and Evangeline joined in, Amilee remained by Rhys as his guard, as he had finally passed out.

Once they cleared the area, the darkspawn retreating to the darkness, Wynne came to Rhys' side, removing the arrowhead and healing him. By the time the elder mage was done, she was exhausted, and Amilee cursed the need for her to remain in wolf form. Had she been human, she could have taken on the whole of the horde on her own.

They returned to their camp and Amilee approached Wynne, who had taken to her bedding almost immediately. "_I can't stay in this form much longer. If we encounter issues at Adamant, I would be of better use to you as a mage, not this._"

"You were here," Wynne murmured tiredly. "It's was better than having no help at all, dear. And if you reveal yourself there, you would not be able to return with us."

"_I know._ _Be that as it may, you've exhausted yourself when my magic would've warranted less effort on your part. When we get close to the fortress, I'll go on ahead and meet Shale._"

With a loud exhale, Wynne acquiesced and allowed Amilee to lay next to her, too tired to argue. "As you wish. You get to explain everything to them."

Before dawn, they set off for the final stretch of their journey. Amilee lagged behind in trepidation, knowing full well the confrontation she would face once they reached the fortress. Already, she could predict everyone's reactions: Evangeline would attempt to throw around her authority but would realize she had little power where they were. Adrian would verbally attack Wynne for being hypocritical, having an apostate in tow. Rhys would act the know-it-all but it would mean he, of all the others, would be the most understanding.

When Adamant Fortress came into view, Amilee bayed and took off, leaving the others behind.

A few minutes of running and she nearly reached the keep, halting abruptly as she spotted a group of templars sitting on their horses near the half open gate. She couldn't get past them without them seeing her and if they followed her into the courtyard, she would have remain a wolf. There was no reason for them to be here other than to do what Cole and warned her and Rhys about. They were here to kill everyone if information was found that would hinder the Order's power over mages.

Luckily, Wynne had Amilee and Shale in her arsenal of defense.

The smell wafting from the keep itself was dreadful. Especially to her wolf's nose, it was foul, the hair on her back standing on end as she passed the many corpses buried in the sands, no longer the mindless corpses they had fought off the last time they had been here. Waltzing up to the gate, she looked over at the templars.

The one with the big nose grinned over at her, commenting on how the Lord Seeker wanted the pretty wolf alive if they killed the others, as long as they could safely capture her. Amilee growled low and long, showing her teeth and snapping to make it clear she would not be an easy target. When Big Nose frowned, fear coming to his eyes, she turned with a flick of her tail and prowled onward.

Near the foot of the steps that lead to the entrance inside stood Shale. She turned to glare at Amilee. "One can assume since the tiny mage is here that the elderly one is not far behind?"

Amilee sat and reached her back leg to scratch at the runestone at the base of her neck until it broke off.

In a flurry of magic light, her wolf body glowed and reformed. Light brown hair emerged, pulled back into a high braided bun, large tendrils hanging to frame a young, lightly freckled face with large turquoise eyes, a dainty nose, and light pink lips. A black, silver embroidered tunic formed, tight leather pants and tall boots peeking out from underneath. The armor conformed into a thick hooded cloak of Amilee's own design, inlaid with half a dozen enchantments, courtesy of her old friend Sandal, and complete with a multitude of hidden dagger pockets. Her red lyrium runestone glinted in the sunlight, tied around her neck with a simple leather string.

"I'm sure the 'elderly mage' appreciates your endless supply of patience, Shale," Amilee quipped sarcastically, as the transformation completed. She adjusted her clothes and stretched her arms over her head. Turning to the pile of corpses still burning, her face grew somber. "I see you've been keeping busy."

"Better than standing around waiting for the pigeons to find me," Shale griped as she handed Amilee a makeshift dufflebag.

Snickering, Amilee went up a few steps and sat, sorting through the bag to arm herself with kunai, listening to the golem grumble as they waited.

Ten more minutes passed, maybe less, before the others led their horses into the courtyard. Amilee stood and walked down to stand next to Shale.

Evangeline drew her sword as the golem had shifted and narrowed her eyes at the both of them. "Who are you and what is that!" she demanded.

Wynne, the last to dismount from her horse, cried, "Hold!" She ignored Rhys, who had tried to stop her, waving him off.

"The elderly mage took it's time returning."

"I told you to come with us, didn't I?"

"And allow the creature within to flee? Perish the thought." Shale gestured to the pile of burned corpses. "I spent my time cleaning. Like a servant. What a pleasure it is to once again perform dull errands at the behest of mages."

Wynne and Amilee chuckled lightly, and then looked back as they noticed the others gaping at them. "This is Shale," she said, indicating the statue. "She was with us when we arrived. I was, in fact, hoping Pharamond might be able to help her . . . condition."

"Little chance of that now," Shale griped.

"I'm truly sorry, Shale."

"Is that... a golem?" Adrian asked.

"Oh no, its a ragtag pile of stones slapped together to be pranced around for our simple amusement," Amilee jeered and the golem let out a short boom of a laugh.

Adrian glared venomously as Wynne shot her younger friend a withering look. "And you've already met Amilee," she sighed, waving her hand with a flourish.

Evangeline and Adrian's eyebrows couldn't climb any higher, the templar bellowing, "You are the wolf? Maker's breath, I've had an apostate under my nose this whole time. Why should that surprise me?" she cursed incredulously, sending a glaring expression toward Wynne.

Rhys began laughing. "How could either of you not know? No animal, not even a mabari, is capable following conversation like she has been."

"I suppose Wynne is perfectly fine with the traipsing around with an apostate," Adrian sneered. "Practically one herself and yet all she can spout is how necessary the Circle is. Unbelievable!"

Directing her gaze toward Wynne, Evangeline grumbled, "You just expect me to accept this as it is and allow her to help without an agreement of her returning with us?"

Amilee's rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I would imagine you all will think whatever you like about it. But none of you are in any position to argue. As you can see we have our work cut out for us."

The others looked to the pile of charring corpses and paled.

"I am not here to have a pissing contest with anyone. I am here to accompany Wynne, as I have for the past year, and as soon as Pharamond is successfully recovered, I will leave on my own. Say what you will to the Order to spare your pride, Evangeline, I know you are bound by duty to report this. But that is how this will go."

"Even I know to respect the tiny mage," Shale sniffed haughtily. "Perhaps the insolent templar would enjoy being it's pincushion."

"That will not be necessary, Shale," Wynne said.

Evangeline clenched her jaw in anger, seeming to weigh her options. Four mages and a golem, she would have no allies unless she managed to alert the templars she'd promptly sent away. Reluctantly, she sheathed her sword and groused, "I have no choice, it seems. Let us move on then."

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**Reviews welcome, favorites, as always, are appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I own nothing of Dragon Age. Amilee is my bad #&amp;, however.**

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When the group had entered Adamant, Wynne directed everyone down, where she recalled her friend's laboratory should reside. She lit her staff for light, barely enough to stave off the darkness closing in around them.

"So," Rhys started as he backed up to walk next to Amilee. "You must be a pretty powerful mage to retain an animal form for so long."

Amilee quietly responded, "Yes. You would do well not to ask me about it."

"Oh, please. You're about, what, twenty-one, twenty-two? Where did you study, if not in the Circle. With the Chasind," Adrian commented wryly.

Shale, who's footsteps boomed in front of them, growled, "This one knows very little to assume the tiny mage is that young."

Pursing her lips in annoyance, Amilee responded, "I fought alongside the Hero of Ferelden during the Blight. That's how Wynne and I met."

"You must be joking," Evangeline scoffed.

Wynne smiled softly, while her eyes remained forward. "Not many people were privy to her presence. But she speaks the truth."

Rhys smiled. "Fascinating. So how old are you then?"

"Does it really matter right now?" Amilee snapped.

Shale turned to stare at them, the light in the pits of its eyes glowing red. "Perhaps the mages wish to cease their nattering, lest they draw unwanted attention? I care not, but soft and fleshy creatures should take greater care for their innards."

Amilee snickered to herself as Rhys and Adrian immediately quieted.

Evangeline took point, warily keeping her sword at the ready.

It was for good reason. It sounded as though things were moving beyond, but the way the passages worked they couldn't tell how far away they were. Sometimes it seemed as if they'd be around the next corner, or just behind them. It was unnerving.

After coming down the long stairs, they first passed through what might have been an antechamber. It was empty save for the blood that covered the floor and walls. Scraps of bloody cloth, bits of jewelry. It smelled like a butcher's shop. Still no bodies, however.

"Ugh, "Amilee groaned in disgust.

"I'll give them this," Rhys muttered. "These people really know how to redecorate."

"It's very welcoming," Evangeline agreed humorlessly.

"Perhaps the White Spire should consider a similar theme?"

"Where would we get all the blood?"

"With a tower full of mages? That's not a serious question."

"True."

Adrian glared at Rhys like they were mad and Amilee chuckled helplessly.

Suddenly, there were more stairs and branching hallways leading out from the bottom landing. Wynne confidently steered the group in the right direction: right, then left. Down a flight of stairs, then around a corner. Amilee mapped their procession in her mind, in case there was need of a sudden flight.

"How many people lived here, anyhow?" Rhys asked.

"Several hundred, as I recall," Wynne answered.

"But there's room for a thousand."

"As I said, this was once home to the Grey Wardens. At the height of the Second Blight they very likely had more than a thousand men . . . and griffons."

That perked the Knight-Captain's interest. "Griffons?"

"Of course. The old weyrs opened onto the chasm. They're sealed up now, but I understand they're still down there. Either way, this place has stood mostly empty for centuries."

"But if there were hundreds of people here . . ."

The thought was left unanswered. There had been, at best, two dozen bodies in the courtyard. That left a lot of people unaccounted for. All the blood left little to the imagination as to what had become of them, but how had they died? And where were their bodies?

They proceeded through several more rooms, once used for storage. The crates looked as if they'd been torn apart by animals, leaving a mix of grain and food strewn about. It was everywhere, some of it mixed with blood, a lot of it rotting. Flies filled the room en mass, flitting and buzzing about their heads.

A noise was coming from the room ahead. It was pitch black there, only the doorway lit by Wynne's staff... but they could see the hint of movement. They heard a low droning, and the sound of many things shifting about. Hundreds of things.

Amilee groaned again, curling her lip in distaste. "Undead."

Evangeline tensed, staring into the darkness. "Arm yourselves," she whispered.

Amilee pulled out two daggers in anticipation, as Rhys willed his staff to life, slowly channeling magic until it crackled with white energy. Adrian did the same.

Wynne quietly cast a spell, moving her hands in intricate patterns until light streams of energy appeared and settled onto each of them, except for Amilee, who absorbed the spell to heighten her power.

"Shale." Wynne motioned to the golem. "You go first. Ser Evangeline will be right behind you."

"Flesh creatures are so easily pulverized," it agreed. Clenching its huge stone fists, Shale charged into the room. The others followed right on its heels, Wynne causing her staff to flare brightly.

They wished she hadn't.

The room might once have been a barracks of some kind, but now it was changed into a morbid, monster nest. In the glaring light, they could see a huge crowd of people... or what had once been people. Now they were twisted creatures, gorging themselves on meat and bloodied flesh. They crawled over piles of bones and even each other like primitive beasts, fighting over scraps. Their skin was covered in blood and filth, little more than rags remaining of whatever clothes they'd once worn.

"Ewwwww, gross, gross, gross! Friggin zombies," Amilee wined to herself, shuddering from the sight. She wasn't so callous that she didn't care the beasts had once been people, but she never expected she would one day have to fight the undead. She was not one of those who were obsessed with the apocalypse back in her world and it always freaked her out, almost as badly as darkspawn.

As the horde spun around to stare at the intruders, their eyes shone like malevolent beacons, as if some dark force spilled out from inside them. They bared sharpened, bloody teeth, hissing and growling.

"Beware!" Evangeline cried. She raced forward as the nearest creatures rushed at her. The first she cleaved nearly in half with her sword, but the others leapt on her and almost dragged her to the ground.

Amilee came from behind to swipe her daggers around, forcing the enemies off her ally, and one immediately sprang back up, hissing loudly. Evangeline took off its head with a great swing.

Shale was already ahead of them. The golem charged forward, each step making an earth shattering boom. It scooped up several of the possessed men and women in its arms and threw them across the room. They screeched as they sailed through the air, plowing into others and knocking them all down.

Already more were climbing over Shale. As it tore each one off, another replaced it. Shale resorted to ignoring them, swinging about with its fists as the creatures tried to get to Amilee and to the mages beyond. Each one it struck was sent flying from the impact.

But more were coming. A surge of them rushed into the room, howling and screaming in outrage as the tawny haired mage cast a cacophony of force to push them back.

Behind them, Wynne, Rhys, and Adrian prepared themselves.

A ball of black energy burst from Rhys' fingertips and hurtled across the room. It flew past Shale and Evangeline, and when it struck the far wall it expanded. It became a sucking void, drawing the nearest creatures into it. They disappeared into its depths, screaming. And then it grew, its power becoming more immense. A ring of blue energy surrounded it, sucking air, debris, and everything else into its core. Creatures not close enough to be drawn inside were slowed, as if fighting against a powerful wind, they bent down and struggled to take even the slightest step.

Amilee took advantage of this and sent a few of her kunai to fly like arrows, wiping through a half dozen or so of the creatures, slicing them to ribbons.

Adrian was next. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes they glowed red with flame. She held up a palm and a swirling ball of fire coalesced over it. Then she threw it, and as it flew it grew larger and hotter. It struck a group of creatures and exploded into an inferno. They emitted earsplitting screeches as the flames engulfed them.

Wynne fired lightning from the tip of her staff. As each bolt struck a creature, killing it instantly, the energy arced to another nearby. Still more of the creatures managed to get by Evangeline and Shale, and as they rushed at Amilee, Wynne unleashed a wave of cold. The entire group froze solid where they stood. Still others ran around their frozen comrades, ignoring them completely. Wynne blasted several, but one leapt high up into the air. It descended with fangs bared, knocking her to the ground.

"Wynne!" Rhys cried. He launched a magical bolt from his staff, hitting the creature just as it was about to sink its fangs into her neck. It was blown off, and as it scrambled to its feet, Amilee stabbed it in the head with a iced over dagger and it fell back to the ground, frozen solid.

Wynne gave the two a grateful look, and they all continued to fight the hoard.

"There's too many!" Adrian shouted, although they could barely hear. Each lightning bolt Wynne fired filled the chamber with thunder. That, combined with the screaming of the creatures as they swarmed Evangeline, Amilee, and the golem, made it deafening.

"I know!"

Adrian looked out at the mass of creatures. Rhys did the same.

Already, more pushed past Shale, who all but crawled with them. Even though the golem was made of stone, they were still strong enough to slowly tear it to pieces. Evangeline was wounded as well, blood flowing from a gash on her forehead down her face and over her armor. Amilee remained unmarred save for the onset of exhaustion, the lack of free range mana wearing her out. They were all sweating, and wouldn't be able to keep this up for long.

"I'm going to summon the storm!" Adrian concentrated, pressing her palms together and forming a ball of red flame, which slowly began to grow in intensity.

"No! You'll kill Evangeline and Amilee!"

"It's either that or we're all dead!"

"I can cover myself!" Amilee shouted, close enough to hear them, and cast a barrier over herself.

Rhys dashed to warn Evangeline, reaching her and knocking her to the ground to cover her. And then the firestorm began. It was an immense display of the red head's power despite the fact she had already used much of it. The many beasts screamed as they burned, scrambling in vain to avoid the flames. When it was over, the room was blessedly silent.

"Mages are occasionally useful," Shale grudgingly admitted, as she stood to brush off the ash from her shoulders.

Both Wynne and Adrian lay on the floor not far away and Amilee and Rhys went to one each. Neither moved.

Wynne looked singed and disheveled, but otherwise unhurt, and waved Amilee away with a scowl.

Adrian was deathly pale, barely breathing.

"Adri?" Rhys whispered, fear in his voice.

"Am I dead?" she moaned.

He laughed in exhausted relief. "Not yet, no."

"That's a shame . . ."

Evangeline walked over, sheathing her sword. Coated in blood and soot, she looked every inch the battle-hardened warrior she was. "There doesn't seem to be any more. We're safe, at least for the moment."

Wynne lit up her staff again, nodding with approval when she saw Shale was unharmed, and looked about. "The passage on the far side leads into Pharamond's laboratory. He is inside."

Evangeline looked incredulous. "You can't think he's still alive!"

Wynne gave her a serious look. "I do."

Amilee's mind indeed buzzed with the nearby presence of a demon. "It is just beyond. Since I cannot proceed any further without the risk of hurting him, I will make sure we will have no surprises waiting for us on the way back up."

Wynne looked at Amilee and nodded her agreement, but the others looked at her like she had grown a second head.

"What do you mean by that?" Evangeline demanded.

Sighing with impatience, Amilee responded, "Demons don't whisper to me, templar. If they are physically present in the real world, I absorb them like a normal mage would absorb lyrium. If they are possessing a body or in the Fade, I absorb them by touch. I don't know why I am thus, but it is what it is. Now if you don't mind, we have better things to do."

"Do be careful, dear," Wynne said, smiling tightly. Shale nodded behind her and the others stared on as she turned to go back the way they'd come.

When she was out of their line of sight, she dashed through the storage rooms, down the corridors to the stairs, a familiar hum growing within.

"Rhys?" came Cole's voice, echoing from up the top flight. "No wait, warmth. A-Amilee?"

She took each step two by two until she reached him at the top. His light blue eyes were wild upon her, his fear and confusion apparent.

"Amilee?" he whispered in shock.

She smiled widely and moved slowly to reach out to him, halting her hand just before touching his arm. "Hi, Cole."

"You're a girl now," he stated, cocking his head to the side as he studied her from her feet to her face.

"Last time I checked," she quipped happily, looking down at herself as well. "Although I'm probably twice as old as you, so that would make me a woman." Her gaze came back up to look him over, making sure he was all in one piece. "I'm going to hug you now. I've been wanting to since we met. Is that okay?"

He gave her an odd look, wiping at his clothes absently but then nodded his head.

She only just came up to his shoulders, even while he was slouched. She managed to tucked herself in his arms, hers folding around his lean frame tightly. After a moment or two, he seemed less awkward about it and settled to embrace her as well, his chin sitting on top of her head.

Somehow, it felt right to be there, more so now that she was human than she did in wolf form. Time slowed as he sighed, adjusting his hands at her back.

"You're so warm," he noted with awe and she felt him playing with the ends of her hair.

His true meaning was lost on her. "Well I may not be a wolf now, but I do layer myself fairly well."

"You didn't come to me last night," he pouted at her softly, tightening his grip. "I was scared you forgot me..."

She smiled at his attempted guilt trip. "Wynne needed me. I'm sorry, hun. I can't be in two places at once."

"That would be hard, yes. Where's Rhys?" he asked quietly, as they reluctantly pulled apart.

Taking his hand gently, she replied, "I'll show you the way." She slowly led him down the stairs, but then halted abruptly at the bottom.

The slight buzz from the demon overcame the hum, and her skin crawled. "Cole," she cried as a ringing in her ears started, and she turned to see her friend falling to his knees, holding his head as if in pain. Kneeling over as if to shield him, the Veil tore open and they were both yanked into the Fade.

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**Reviews and favs please! Let me know what you think. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**I own nothing of Dragon Age. Just Amilee.**

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Amilee's view was off kilter. The ringing in her ears had become a litany of roaring fire, people running and screaming. Looking over to Cole she saw he was trying to cope with the sudden change, obviously having never been to the Fade before. She put her hands on his shoulders to steady him

Looking up and around at the buildings, she saw a familiar mountain off in the distance, and a sense of deja-vu overtook her.

"We're in Denerim," she whispered in horror. Not only that, they were back at the time of the Blight, her recognition of the sky and chaos around them undeniable. But it wasn't real, she could see the edges of her view blurring, a subtle distortion. She shuddered in fear.

_This wasn't supposed to have happened. It was only supposed to be Wynne that had gone, s_he thought, panicked. How much time had passed already? Her runestone had been dimming slowly over the past few years and that meant it was slowly losing it's power. The longer she stayed in the Fade, the more that power would drain. And as of yet, she hadn't spotted any lyrium clusters to draw from.

Cole grabbed at her arms, to the point of almost pain, which brought her out of her thoughts and she turned her focus on him. "It's not right. Shouldn't be here," he gasped. He was scared as well, attempting to deny the visions of death and fire all around them, and she hushed him, brushing the curling, blonde locks from his face.

"We need to find the others," she stated, the tremor in her voice subtle. A group of darkspawn approached them quickly, pointing and waving their swords in bloodlust. They roared, pounding the ground with their swords, and then charged.

Suddenly, Cole stepped forward, a dagger drawn. He slashed the first darkspawn across it's throat, its blighted blood spurting from it's neck. It gurgled and stumbled past them to collapse in a nearby shop. Were it not for the severity of the situation, she would have praised his initiative.

Amilee stepped in and flung her hand out, knocking two of the beasts away with enough force that they flew off the ground, becoming crushed against a building a few hundred feet from them. Others swarmed and Cole attacked those closest while she crouched low, flinging back her cape up to release her twenty kunai, setting them loose upon the right bulk of the hoard. They were in pieces within moments and her weapons returned to her as if they had never left.

Cole stared in stunned disbelief for a bit and she had to pull at him, urging him to run through the shop and out the collapsed back wall. Eventually they spilled out onto some kind of square, the ground drenched in blood and gore all over.

"Oh, please try not to look, hun," Amilee called over her shoulder as they kept moving. Of course he had slowed, unable to look away from the bodies scattered about, a nightmare to behold. She had to hold his had to pull and guide him forward.

They advanced as carefully as they could to avoid stepping on the deceased. Unfortunately, the hoard was bearing down upon them once again, and Amilee turned. "Keep going, Cole!" She pushed him forward and grasped at the air above to pull down, an invisible force following suit below the gathered enemies and they were knocked to the ground, crushed from the gravity.

The stragglers were struck by an explosion of fire, sailing through the air, arms flailing, and hit the ground hard.

"Cole! Amilee!"

They turned toward the sound of the voice and spotted Rhys. Adrian, Wynne, Shale, and Evangeline weren't far behind.

"Rhys?" Cole asked quietly.

Rhys stared at them, mouth agape in shock. The Knight-Captain stared as well, although her expression was far more wary. She held her sword at the ready, as if concerned Cole might run at them and attack.

Amilee studiously ignored them, busying her hands to brush the dust off Cole's back and shoulders as Adrian and Wynne took the last of the darkspawn on with Shale. The ones that weren't felled, scattered and ran in defeat.

Everyone was staring then, at the young man next to Amilee.

"Cole, what are you doing here?" Rhys asked, perplexed.

"I know you didn't want me to follow you..."

"No, how did you get _here_?"

"I was looking for you when Amilee found me on the stairs. Then there was music," he said quietly. "It was so loud, it filled us up and took us here. But I don't know where here is."

"We're in the Fade, hun," Amilee responded kindly, inching around to his other side and glaring at Evangeline, who kept her sword raised at him.

"It's the realm of spirits," Wynne explained. "And this is a dream, of sorts. I believe it might be mine."

The red headed mage frowned. "Your dream?"

"Denerim. This is the capital of Ferelden, and we are in the middle of the Blight. This is the battle when the Archdemon was slain and the darkspawn at last routed."

"But that's a good thing."

"Seriously?" Amilee sneered, curling her nose at Adrian with incredulity.

Wynne's face sagged, and for a moment she looked tired. "Look around you, Adrian. This was a nightmare. The victory came at a terrible cost, and has haunted me ever since."

They did look around then, at the burning buildings and the terrible blackness roiling in the sky.

Shale lumbered over, stony face twisted into a scowl. "The old mage has brought me into the Fade again. I didn't like it the first time."

Wynne nodded, sighing. "It wasn't intentional, Shale. It seems everyone was drawn through the Veil, rather than just me."

Shale turned her glowing eyes toward Cole. "And this one, as well? Shall I squish it now? It looks unpleasant."

"No!" Amilee and Rhys cried together. Amilee wrapped her arms around Cole protectively and Shale stepped back.

"We don't know what he is," the Knight- Captain said. "Think about it, you two. Nobody can see him, but suddenly he's in the Fade? Right where you are? Don't be such fools."

"He's not a demon," Rhys insisted.

"If he was, my touch would have killed him by now," Amilee punctuated, as if her arms around him should be proof enough to them. "You know this, Wynne."

"I do **not** know," Wynne said uncertainly. "You told me if they were possessing someone, you would have to consciously use your gift. And it is unlike you to become so attached to a stranger so quickly." She stepped toward Cole, and he pushed from Amilee and backed away, adjusting the grip on his dagger. "I don't sense he's a spirit, but what does that mean here in the Fade? I didn't sense those creatures chasing him as spirits either, but they certainly weren't darkspawn."

A moment of tense silence passed, and Cole looked at Rhys. "Are... you still angry at me? I only wanted to protect you."

"You can't protect me, Cole. That's why I told you to go back."

"I couldn't," the young man insisted.

Adrian glared at Cole angrily, her voice steeled. "Why couldn't you?" she demanded. "Do you have any idea what you've done to Rhys?"

He backed up another step, but she pursued him. "I didn't mean to do anything to Rhys," he said quietly.

"Enough," Amilee commanded in vain, stepping between the red head and the boy.

"And what about the mages he murdered? Did he not mean that?"

Amilee paled and froze, knowing she would be unable to reasonably defend Cole from that accusation. She knew it to be true, that his actions were wrong, but something inside him pulled at her and she believed with all her heart he was good. Whatever he had done in the past, he'd cared enough about those around him to change.

"**This** is the murderer," Evangeline cried in outrage. She glared at Rhys. "You didn't mention that."

"I... thought you overheard."

"You should have told me yourself."

"So you could do what?" he demanded harshly. "You barely believed me as it was. You would have thought I was lying to you, in order to look innocent."

She stared at him, and then slowly nodded. "You're right." Then she turned toward Cole and drew her sword. "Demon or murderer, there is only one solution."

Amilee stomped and the ground below them shook with power. "I said ENOUGH!"

Everyone froze in shock at the small woman's outburst. "You think I lie when I say he is not a demon? Fine, I don't need you to believe. But don't think for a moment that killing him outright is the answer. Take him back to the Spire as proof to others that Rhys is innocent. If he wishes to go and take punishment for the crimes, then fine, I won't argue. But I will not stand here and let you kill him. And we have more important things to deal with than what isn't happening **right now**, at this very moment."

The ground shook once more, and this time it was the entire square. Amilee looked down, startled and stumbling.

A deafening roar sounded from the sky, so loud it beat down upon the lot of them like a physical force. It drowned out everything. They all covered their ears and bent down, the pain from the roar excruciating. The sound seemed to go on forever, and only when it finally stopped did they dare to look up.

"The Archdemon!" Wynne cried in horror.

There was no time to react. The dragon descended onto the square with the force of an immense earthquake. Cole tried to dive out of the way as Amilee reach out for him, but the massive wings of the beast beat once and sent a hurricane like wind sweeping through the square. The young man was lifted up, along with many of the dead soldiers, and flung through the air. Amilee too had been knocked back, in the opposite direction.

"Cole!" Amilee screamed as she recovered. Looking back to the great beast with hatred, she scrambled to her feet and backed up, the others calling for a retreat.

The dragon reared up, its serpentine neck curling. It then lunged forward, belching a blast of black flame from its mouth. As its focus lay on the other mages, Amilee once again called forth her _kunai_, fanning out behind and around her like a set of deadly wings.

She spotted a building tall enough for what she needed and she set off a wave of force that propelled her up and up, until her feet landed at the apex of a lone tower. Her blades then swooped down, aiming for one great wing, shredding through as if it were paper.

The dragon swiveled it's head trying to avoid the attacks and discern her location. Weaving back and forth she moved her blades faster, ripping at the decrepit flesh until the first wing fell apart and the Archdemon screamed in anger and agony.

It finally spotted her and she quickly jumped to float down from the impossible height, as it's tail whipped around to knock against the tower. The stones crumbled under the force and the structure collapsed in on itself.

Wynne and Adrian began their attack, as well as Shale, who ran up to tackle the dragon's flank. "I killed it once," she bellowed. "And I'll kill it again!" In moments she was tossed aside, but Evageline was there to step in, greatsword swinging.

_Cole. Where is Cole?_ Amilee thought, her mind racing as a lightning storm appeared above them. Then she spotted him, a mere few feet from the dragon, trying to dodge the sparks and the beast as best he could.

The dragon's focus turned on the young man and it coiled its neck to strike.

Something inside Amilee snapped. The ground shook as she burst up from the ground, as high as her power could take her. Using the natural momentum of falling, she compacted her force around into a great projectile, almost as fast as an arrow could fly. Pulling back her fist at the last moment, she threw it forward as she made contact with the Archdemon's head, just short of snapping it's teeth around her beloved friend.

Bone cracked, black ichor and gore erupting as the dragon's skull was crushed, the ground caving to become a crater beneath it. Dust flew and swirled into a cloud, causing the onlookers to cough and step back.

Evangeline was awestruck. "Maker's breath. How did she do that?"

"See. One doesn't mess with the tiny mage," Shale reiterated to the Knight-Captain, it's eyes glowing solemnly. "It is very good at making one feel smaller."

Wynne pressed her lips into a thin line, peering through the dust and smoke. "Does anyone see her?"

"Amilee!" Cole exclaimed as he wandered into the crater, sliding down to pull her out and away from the bloodied remains, cradling her head in his lap as he knelt on the ground. She was pale and cold, her lips turning blue. "Rhys, help! Please help!" he called out desperately.

The others rushed to find him and he stepped away from her, so they could do what they could.

Wynne cast a major healing spell to rejuvenate her. "You two help as well. She draws power from our magic."

While the other two were far from master healers, they acquiesced, awed as the color slowly returned to the small mage's face.

"Stop," Amilee protested weakly, as she awoke.

Wynne shook her head. "Hush, girl. You need our energy."

"You need it more." She pushed Wynne's hand away and the others followed suit. "I have enough. I'll be fine."

"None of this is fine," Evangeline growled angrily.

An argument began between the templar and mages, but it all sounded far away to Amilee. She did need more energy, more than any the others were able to give at that moment. Her runestone had probably depleted from her superhero stunt, which meant she was out of time. The others were oblivious to her predicament however, and knowing full well she was hip deep in quicksand, sinking fast, she would have to tell them what was happening.

Minutes passed before she was able to focus outward.

"Where's Cole?" she asked quietly, sitting up.

The lot turned to her and Wynne replied, "Didn't you hear us, dear? He ran off somewhere after we came to help you."

She stood, her legs trembling from the effort, borrowing Wynne's staff as a momentary crutch. "Which direction?"

Adrian scowled. "What is wrong with you? You're more worried about saving a possible demon than your own skin. It's ridiculous."

"Adrian," Rhys chided. "Enough."

"What **is** wrong? You look better but it's obvious you aren't well," Evangeline pointed out.

"Unless I am able to replenish my life force while in the Fade, I will die."

They all stared at her in shock.

She looked around at them, eye dulled and wearied. "I... I am not a natural mage. While I am able to wield magic, being in the Fade drains me. Had I been prepared, or less inclined to expend my power, I'd be alright but..." Dizziness overcame her for a moment and she paused. "I don't have long before I won't be able to return with you."

Wynne steadied her friend and replied, "Take some of my mana."

"No. You've given me enough, more than enough. You need as much as you can to fight the demon. If this is to be my end so be it. Go find your friend and get out while you have the chance. I just need to make sure Cole is alright before..." She let the sentence trail off, taking a few steps away, aimlessly.

Stepping in front of her, Rhys began another healing spell upon her. She shied away but he followed, determined not to allow her martyrdom. "Enough Amilee." He murmured quietly. "Cole is going to need your support in all this. I am friend enough to him that I would not see his love fall just to reserve some of my power."

"Alright, fine," she grimaced, enduring his hands upon her shoulders.

Wait, what? Was he right? Did she... love Cole? For a few moments she pondered the idea, assessing her motivations of her past actions. With all that was happening, she'd never stopped to think as to why she wanted to protect him so fiercely.

She concluded that while it was far from wanton, her bond with the young man couldn't be seen as anything but romantic. She did love him. Her slight smile was one of sadness, as she knew things were going to get very complicated very fast.

A moment or two passed and when she was finally able to stop wobbling on her feet, Rhys ceased his spell and wrapped an arm around hers for support. "I'll be going with you."

"You're both insane, chasing off after some murderer," Adrian commented venomously.

Evangeline moved to block them. "I can't stop her, but you're not running off on your own, Rhys— not again. I don't approve of this mission any more than you do, but my duty is still clear."

"And what about your duty to Cole? I know perfectly well what he's done. I also know that he's been lost and frightened in the tower ever since the templars brought him there. They had a duty to protect him, to protect everyone from what his magic could do, and he slipped through their fingers."

He stabbed at Evangeline's breastplate with an angry finger. "And now you can see him. You didn't believe me before, but here he is. Instead of trying to help him as you ought to do, you'd rather judge him. As well as Amilee and I."

Evangeline frowned, but did not respond.

Adrian, however, stepped right up to him. She barely came to his chin, but glared up at him nonetheless. "You're being an idiot, Rhys," she snapped. "I know you mean well, but you need to start thinking of yourself. You're staying with the rest of us, and we're going to find Pharamond and then get out of the Fade."

"We could use your help, Adri."

The red haired mage immediately shook her head. "No. I'm not going to do that."

"I'll go with you," the Knight-Captain said grudgingly. "You're right. If this Cole was indeed a mage brought to the White Spire . . . then we are responsible for him, and his actions, at least in part. Like Pharamond, we can worry about his guilt once we are safe."

Wynne brought a hand to Amilee's shoulder, imploring, "Are you certain this is the path you wish to follow, dear? You can absorb demons, gain some of your energy back."

Resting against Rhys' side, Amilee shook her head. "With what I've used, it would only delay the inevitable. Be safe, Wynne. I wish you well."

* * *

**With Amilee, it's always been about hindsight. She truly believes that if she doesn't use as much power as she is able, she will lose someone else. While the others would have been fine without her help, she doesn't actually know that. I will explain more as to why she's like this soon.**

**Reviews and favorites, as always.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I own nothing of Dragon Age. Just Amilee. **

**Also, I'm sorry in advance. :3**

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The world around the three companions had shifted. Only moments before, they had been making their way through the ruins of the city, so surprised, they had halted abruptly with the sudden transition. Now they were standing in what appeared to be an empty farmer's field. The land had recently been burned, as far as the eye could see, and was now smoldered, the smoke in the air stinging their eyes.

Off in the distance, a small shack stood lonely in the midst of the wasteland. From the look of it, no one would have thrived within its confines.

"Are you sure this is it?" Evangeline asked Rhys.

He nodded, his expression grim. A small orb of light floated next to Amilee's head; a spirit Rhys had conjured, which he said would lead them to Cole. At first Rhys had been befuddled by it's attachment to someone who hadn't summoned it.

While Amilee was able to absorb demons, spirits were another matter. When a spirit wasn't bond to a body, like Faith or Justice had been, it would be drawn to her. A wisp told her once that it could hear more around her, a spirit of Valor had told her he felt stronger when she was nearby. In turn, she naturally gained qualities the spirit embodied. She gained confidence around Valor, her mind was clearer around Faith, and, before Justice had turned into Vengance, she felt energetic. The wisps made her giddy most of the time and they were the most common encounter she'd had. This one was no different.

Once the small mage had explained this to Rhys, the mage smiled softly, shaking his head in amazement.

"He's there," Amilee agreed. "I can feel him."

"Is that how you find him? I just thought you could smell better as a dog."

"Wolf, you butthead. And no, when I'm near him, my body hums with this sort of... soothing sensation."

"That sounds... pleasant," Evangeline commented tactfully.

"Not like that!" Amilee protested quickly, covering her face which had gone red. She then looked up at the sky beyond.

Off in the far distance, barely visible through the haze, there was an island that gave the impression of being much larger, and on it spread a city shrouded in darkness. The ever ominous Black City. She had always seen it in the Fade when she'd visited with Justice, but it never gave her pleasure to bear witness.

They walked slowly through the field, clouds of ash rising with each step. There was no indication anyone was in the hovel. The front door swung back and forth in the wind. A clothes line of stained sheets, half of them having fallen to the ground, were covered in soot. The entire place stank of neglect.

"What is this place?" the templar asked.

"I don't know. Cole's home, perhaps."

"What do you know about his past?"

"Nothing. He said he didn't remember where he came from."

Amilee agreed once again. "He told me the same. The first thing he remembers is when the templars brought him to the Spire."

Rhys looked around. "I guess there's a part of him that does remeber. This is a memory he's fled to."

Obviously it wasn't a good memory.

They stopped just outside the door, looking for any evidence of movement within, but it was too dark to see. A mangy kitten crawled out from under the steps, one of its ears badly burned, and it mewled pitifully at them.

"Aww, tiny!" Amilee squeaked, earning an odd look from Evangeline, who had knelt down herself to hold out a hand to the creature. It sniffed hesitantly and then, realizing there was no food to be had, redoubled its desperate cries.

"It's easy," Rhys said. He knelt between the two women, and in his hands was a small slice of raw meat. The kitten leapt on it ecstatically, pulling the meat off his hand to gnaw away at it.

"Remember, you only have your weapons because you think you do."

"So you can change anything here?"

"Not anything, no."

She shook her head, confused. "Is the Fade always like this?"

"Not at all," Amilee stated firmly as she stood once more, hardened eyes staring within.

Rhys explained, "The spirits see the world in our minds, and they try to emulate it. They don't understand that what they're seeing isn't how it truly is. It's mixed up with memory and emotion— but they think it's real, and they find it fascinating. They're drawn to it. But not all dreams are created by spirits."

Evangeline nodded as if she understood, although Amilee was certain she didn't. The Fade was by no means a subject one could discuss competently with a templar.

"How often did you visit the Fade, Amilee," Rhys asked.

"More times than I can count. But it was the... lighter side. I've only been to the dark parts a couple of times, and it was never a pleasant experience. Demons were too numerous and it was hard to control my power."

Silence fell for a moment.

"Evangeline." Rhys cleared his throat awkwardly. "Look, about what that demon said..."

"This isn't the place to discuss it."

"I just don't want you to think..."

"Let's just find your friend," the Knight Captain said, cutting him off. She stood up, and they watched the kitten drag its prize back under the stairs.

They walked up the creaking steps and through the open door. It was far darker inside than was natural. None of the light from outside seemed to penetrate more than a few inches past the doorway. There was also a shocking chill to the air, their breath appearing as mist when they exhaled.

Evangeline drew her sword, exchanging a wary glance with the other two. Rhys held out his staff, and the crystal at its top began to glow. Amilee drew out her two daggers.

A room almost barren of furniture was revealed. A few chairs, one of them broken. Several filthy blankets. Wine bottles lay scattered about, and some of them had been smashed against the wall. All of it was dusted with a fine layer of frost.

"_Jesus_," Amilee cursed softly, cringing against the sight and the cold.

"What happened here?" Evangeline added with a whisper, not daring to speak too loudly.

Rhys clearly knew no better than they did. Whatever it was, the memory of it clung to the room.

It felt like terror.

A small kitchen lay off to one side beyond it's large entryway, filled with small cupboards and shattered dishes. A large pool of frozen blood lay on the floor, smeared in such a way as to suggest a body had been there until only recently.

The small spirit floating around Amilee and Rhys was agitated and the man made soothing noises at it.

"What's wrong?" Evangeline asked him.

"I'm not sure. It's . . . sensing something unusual."

"There's not much about this I would call usual."

"It's a demon. But I can't... I can't tell where it is," Amilee fretted quietly. She heard something then, what sounded like a whimper, coming from one of the cupboards. She and Evangeline turned around, trying to detect where it was coming from... but just then, a shout echoed throughout the house.

"COLE!"

Rhys jumped, and his spirit quivered in terror, whisking off out of sight. Evangeline raised her sword and Amilee stalked towards the cellar, the origin of the bold cry.

"Cole, you little bastard! You think you can hide from me forever?"

Frost permeated along her hood and cloak as Amilee moved to open the door, turning the knob and swinging it wide.

Heavy footsteps came up the stairs fast and before she could react, a pair of meaty hands flew out and pulled her, flinging her down the stairs.

Evangeline stepped out of the kitchen just in time to see it. "Amilee!" she called out.

The impacts were jarring as she tumbled. She knocked her head soundly against the corner of a stair, felt a sharp crack as her foot twisted, caught in a broken step, as well as a wrenching in her wrist when she tried to break her fall. When she reached the bottom, her head spun and swam, the sharp pain in her head and ankle causing her to gasp in agony.

"Come out and die like a man!" she heard the demon continue. "You know what the punishment is!"

Carefully, she attempted to gain purchase from something, anything she could grasp with her good hand, pulling herself up on her undamaged leg. It took many tries and with each she gained more resolve, knowing Rhys and Evangeline might need her, and above all that she needed to be sure Cole was safe.

The sounds of a scuffle echoed from above as she dragged herself, step by agonizing step, cursing herself for her stupidity.

"Maker take you and your foul magic!" she heard Evangeline cry, spurring her to move faster, pushing the pain to the back of her mind. By the time she reached the top, the fight had moved to the kitchen.

Her crawling was slowed and she realized the bump on her head was in fact a gash, blood dripping along the floor as she went. Her vision doubled and nausea surfaced as horror swept through her. She had a concussion.

"Maker take your evil!" she heard the Knight Captain snarl and Amilee pulled herself forward enough to witness Evangeline swing her sword high and down, taking off the demon's head.

The head disintegrated before it hit the ground, the body stumbling around before it slowly shifted into a black miasma that dissipated as well.

Rhys stared up at the templar from the floor, cradling his wounded shoulder as he healed it. "I... think that should do the trick," he said.

"Let's hope so."

"Nice swing, by the way- Amilee!" he gasped, standing to come to her aid. She was already attempting to heal the gash on her head as he focus on her ankle. The headache would remain, as would a great soreness in her foot, but after Rhys's assistance it would only be sprained, like her wrist. Murmuring her thanks, she hobbled as she stood, bracing herself against the frame of the entryway.

Already the room was changing. The biting cold had lifted, the pool of blood on the floor gone, but the darkness remained.

They were left in a dark and empty farm house, like a place long abandoned... any signs that something terrible had happened there were gone, but they could still feel the evil soaked into every floorboard.

Evangeline looked around, keeping her sword ready just in case. "Why isn't it all gone? I thought you said the demon created this."

"The demon kept Cole trapped here, but the nightmare is his."

"Cole..." Amilee whispered, as she made her way carefully to where the hum resonated most.

"We need to find him before another demon comes. They're very territorial," Rhys warned.

"Over here," Amilee replied quietly as she slowly knelt before a cupboard at the end of the small counter. Evangeline followed suit and opened it for her.

A young blonde boy, not even in his teens yet, huddled inside with a small girl in a yellow dress wrapped up in his arms.

"Please don't tell," he begged them in a trembling whisper. "Mama told us to hide. We have to hide."

"Cole?" Rhys approached behind them, horrified.

Evangeline reached out and removed Cole's hand from the little girl's mouth.

"Bunny was crying," he explained in a tiny voice. "Mama told us to be quiet. I only wanted her to be quiet."

Gently, Evangeline took the girl from his arms, and he only reluctantly gave her up, the body disintegrating as soon as it left the cupboard.

Amilee held her arms out and responded soothingly, "Shh, honey, it's alright. We're here now."

"W-warmth," he stuttered out pitifully, as recognition lit in his eyes. "Amilee!" All at once the little boy spilled out of the cabinet. Only he wasn't a little boy anymore. He was back to his original form, a lanky young man, clutching at Amilee desperately as agonized sobs ripped from somewhere deep inside him.

She winced from her wrist but ignored it as she returned his embrace full force, great tears tracking down her own cheeks at the sounds of his misery. "It's okay honey, I got you. Shh, I got you. He can't hurt you anymore. Never again."

The other two huddled close behind as she rocked him, kissing his forehead and brushing the hair from his face, murmuring sweet words in an attempt to soothe him. A minute or two passed and she sang a love song in English, under her breath, willing him to calm. Slowly but surely his cries subsided.

The shack had disappeared from around them, the field completely empty, as if it had never existed. But it had existed, once. Deep in their hearts, they knew that for Cole it had gone from being a nightmare to a memory... an awful memory the Fade had dragged from some dark and dreadful place where it should have remained.

His head fell back to look up at her and she gazed soulfully into his beautiful, yet wearied eyes. She smiled warmly through her tears, caressing his cheek with the back of her fingers. "I love you, Cole," she breathed, before planting a light kiss at the corner of his lips.

His mouth formed an oh as his eyes widened, staring back at the woman who gazed upon him with such affection. Amilee couldn't even guess the last time someone had looked at him that way, if at all, and was all the more determined he see how she felt.

But then she turned her head away as if pained. She sniffed, her whisper low and urgent, "Somebody take him, please."

Rhys, although surprised by her request, took a moment to disengage the boy from her.

As she attempted to move, Amilee faltered and her eyes rolled back, collapsing to the ground in a heap.

Cole began to wail in earnest, struggling against the grip of his friend. " No, please, Amilee! No! NO!"

Evangeline rolled the small mage over and reached to check the pulse at her throat. "She's fading! How bad was her head wound?" she cried, her eyes wide with shock.

"Sweet Maker, I don't know," Rhys responded helplessly, giving them the answer none of them wanted as he wrestled to keep a frightfully distressed Cole off of their small friend.

"The warmth! It's gone! You have to help her!" the young man screamed in anguish. "Bring her back! Please!"

Before the two could trade places, Evangeline moving to take Cole so that Rhys could attempt to heal their friend, the world turned white and they blinked out of the Fade.

* * *

"_And I'll sing, oh, it's amazing that you're here, so alone I would be, in a world that you're not near, don't go home without me..." -_Don't Go Home Without Me by Little Machines

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**Alright, I know! Don't hurt me! *ducks away from randomly thrown objects* **

**Now I understand there might be some concerns about Cole's age in this so I will explain: Evangeline describes Cole as being no more than twenty in this story. As she has been a Templar for some time, she would be well versed in the monitoring of people of all ages, so one can trust she is quite accurate in this assumption.**

**It boggles my mind because that would mean our Cole has been wandering the Spire for years. :( Which makes me sad.**

**Reviews and favorites most welcome.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I own nothing of Dragon age. Just Amilee.**

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"_We stay up every night, we fade away, but now you're living in a dream, I'm torn apart from the one I love, oh my baby where have you gone, you know I'm sending angels to watch you sleep, cuz I'm always on the run..._" -If I Lost You by Shiny Toy Guns

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When Amilee had been thrown back to the past, it hadn't just been a simple teleportation. She had gone somewhere else, a limbo of sorts. A voice had spoken to her, asking what she would do, if presented the chance to change her future. Her answers, and her conviction, seemed to satisfy... whoever it was, and she'd promptly popped back into existence.

It wasn't until after the defeat of the Archdemon, when Amilee had followed the Warden Commander to Amaranthine, that she realized what the voice had meant. Anders, young and funny and **not** merged with Justice, was the first person they encountered while trying to beat back the darkspawn.

He'd enchanted her with his humor, especially his banters with their drunken friend Oghren. He seemed to genuinely like her and over the course of a couple of months, she had helplessly fallen in love all over again... But then they found Justice.

Admittedly, she had missed him. He had been her stoic guardian, a quiet presence that watched over her when she would visit the Fade in her dreams at night, as she'd slept next to an older Anders. It was through talking with Justice as a separate entity, she'd come to a dreadful realization.

If she stopped Anders from merging with Justice, the spirit would die. And Anders would never have gone to Kirkwall. Reasonably, this revelation would make one think, well shit, do it! In theory though, time would find a way to balance itself. She would never have met Anders in Kirkwall, he would never have blown up the Chantry... And she would never have gone back in time to stop him in the first place.

On the night Anders proposed to her, she accepted his ring and with Velana's help, she cast a spell to make everyone forget her. Everyone except Aedan of course. With a heavy heart, she explained her reasoning briefly, instructing him to send word to their former companions not to speak of her, and left to wander the Ferelden alone.

Years passed. She'd become increasingly agitated with herself for hiding away, knowing there were people who missed her, wishing she could see Anders one more time.

As fate would have it, she reached Kirkwall the very day her life had been turned upside down. She disguised herself and handed him a ring that would return his memories. She asked him if he would stop, despite the knowledge she would most likely disappear, but he had refused. He told her he valued his memories of her and their time together more than his own life and that the fight for freedom of all mages was more important as well. That she should move on and find someone else.

Unable to do anything more, she left, brokenhearted and watched from afar as the grim events repeated. Meredith and Orsino fought, the Chantry blew up, and Garrett killed Anders. Then they went to the Gallows to protect the mages and younger Amilee was thrown back in time.

As she saw it, Fate hadn't been very kind to her.

Now the unbearable silence had returned once more as she floated in nothingness, lost to the Void. But instead of feeling at peace, she was angry and panicked, struggling to move, to see, to hear something, anything. _Cole_, she thought urgently, _I have to get back, I have to protect him!_ _I can't go like this, please!_ _Let me save at least one person I care about!_

She knew this wasn't just a means for time travel. Outside of time, in this limbo, the call of forever stretched to blanket her as she wrestled against the oncoming lethargy, death's grasp. As it was before, her memories flashed in her mind, but her focus remained solely on the intent to fight with all her being, to will herself awake once more.

_Such strength you have, that you would cling to this life, even now_, a familiar, disembodied voice whispered. "_Be at ease, your time has not come yet. You still serve a purpose, although it will not be what you imagine..._ _Return, that you may yet fulfill your destiny."_

Relief and gratitude filled her as a heavy weight lifted, heat returning to her limbs as she took a great gasping breath. Her dry eyes blinked against the stagnant darkness, body stiff and aching from however long she'd been lying in the same position on the cold, stone floor.

As she sat up, her voice cracked as she called out, "Hello?"

A yawning emptiness was her only answer. From what she could tell, she was still at the bottom of the first flight of stairs to the basement of Adamant Fortress, but there were no signs of her companions. _How much time has passed?_ she thought with dread.

Stumbling up the steps, she found her way to the entrance, noting the remnants of the great doors were filmed over with a thick layer of sand and dust.

_Shit_, she thought, knowing that didn't bode well. She looked down at her runestone, gleaming bright red back at her. What was it that watched over her, that could not only restore her body, but her focal point as well?

Staring out into the desert sands, she set aside that concern for later. Right now, she had to find supplies and track down the others.

* * *

"My agents went to retrieve your body but it was nowhere to be found. Where the _hell _have you been?" Leliana demanded accusingly. "Wynne was certain you had died!"

Amilee paled at her friend's tone as she stood in the doorway of Sister Nightengale's room at the inn. "I-I was... kind of. But something happened and now I'm not. Where is she? I heard there was trouble at the Spire. Is she alright?"

A grave silence fell between the two. Amilee became confused and worried by Leliana's lack of enthusiasm that she had not in fact passed on.

She'd been dead for almost a week. And it had taken her three more to find her way back to Val Royaeux. Three weeks of wandering the Approach almost starved and dehydrated, skirting along roads overrun with templars and soldiers alike, and making her way around the whole of Lake Celestine before finally getting back on track. All the while she'd been kicking herself for not studying the map of western Orlais.

She'd finally made it back, but only to discover the city in chaos, a passing templar informing her none too politely that the mages at the Spire had escaped, the Order on high alert and the Spire on permanent lock down. They wouldn't even divulge information as to whether or not Wynne and her companions had made it back safely.

Now she stood before her former comrade as she was informed that Wynne had died in the sewers beneath the Spire, while they were helping smuggle the mages to freedom. She'd given her life to save Ser Evangeline and afterward Rhys and the former Knight-Captain had fled to the outskirts of Orlais, to a ruin called Andoral's Reach.

And as for Cole? Lelianna couldn't recall having ever met the young man, nor had her agents spoken of him. She remembered someone else helping them, but she couldn't summon a face or a name. All she knew was that Wynne had passed on and the others were well away.

Amilee had collapsed to the floor then, her will to stand, after traveling so long without much food or rest, gone. After a quick apology from her friend for her curt behavior, she was hoisted up and brought over to the bed, in which she slept long into the next day.

After wolfing down three helpings of breakfast and briefly arguing with her ward over her getting up, she excused herself from Lelianna's quarters to find her way into the sewers. She searched them for hours. Tunnel after tunnel, she swept the area with a fine tooth comb, all the while hoping and praying the hum would start and she would find him. When she finally made it into the dungeon, it was deathly silent, empty. He was nowhere to be found.

More days passed. Leliana had sent a bird with a letter from her to Rhys politely asking if this young man had in fact gone with him. A simple reply came back.

_To Sister Nightengale,_

_We have made it safely to Andoral's Reach. Every day more and more mages are arriving, thanks to your agents and their discreet assistance. _

_As to my friend you mentioned, I can appreciate that you remember the boy, although I daresay I am surprised by this. His uniqueness was one that caused most people to forget him._

_Whether or not he is with me, I cannot say he is. I don't even know if he yet exists, as the circumstances of his disappearance were less than pleasant. _

_I honestly wish I knew where my friend has gone. If he yet lives and anyone under your wing meets him in passing, direct them to be kind. That is all I can ask._

_Be well._

_R._

"What do you think you will do now, sweeting?" Lelianna asked, after reading the letter aloud to Amilee. "My agents can keep an eye out, and I can make inquiries but I fear the trail will be cold."

For a long time, the small mage said nothing. A trembling began in her hands, the only sign of the turmoil inside, but it faded. Leliana watched sadly as her friend disappeared behind a mask of indifference. After a few more heartbeats, Amilee answered, steel lining her voice, "You know what I can do, what feats I am capable of. Use me for it. It is all I have left now."

Pursing her lips, the red head nodded. "Very well, Hawk. Let's see what we have."

* * *

_9:41-Temple of Sacred Ashes_

Striding swiftly and silently, Amilee passed through a massive cluster of mages and templars, tensions high between them as they waited impatiently for the Divine to emerge and begin the proceedings of the Conclave.

While Amilee would have liked nothing more that to leave these squabbling children to their own devices, Leliana had asked her to be here. Over the course of two years, she'd become the Left Hand of the Divine's second, Hawk the Preyer, an indispensable assassin and spymaster. Leliana knew if things went south here, Amilee would be able to handle it. She was more familiar with the temple than anyone most people here and very capable of halting any physical confrontations, if need be.

Making her way down a flight of stairs she began her patrol of the less used passageways. Ten minutes into her sweep, she turn down a path that led to the undercroft. The passage was empty save for the random horned figure that leaned against the far wall, probably a hired mercenary assigned to guard this particular hallway.

As Amilee made her way to pass the figure, her brow raised in surprise. "Huh, I've never seen a female Qunari before," Amilee noted as she stopped, staring openly at the woman.

The woman quirked an eyebrow back down at her in amusement, her voice rich and deep, "You've met many Qunari, I take it?"

"Yes. Well... more like killed many." She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I was in Kirkwall when the Arishok attempted to take over."

"Ah, yes. **That** idiot," the woman replied, crossing her arms casually. "I hear they replaced him after that precious book was stolen a second time."

"Shit, are you serious?" Amilee cackled briefly. "With how long it took him to track down the damn thing, you'd think he'd have welded the safe to the floor. So I take it you're Tal-Vashoth then?"

"You assume correctly. You're pretty brave to even ask me. Most people here avert there eyes or run when they see me." She curled her lip in a wry smile. "Makes this job fairly easy."

"I'm not like most people," Amilee replied reasonably. She shrugged. "You're just another person, living a different life in a different body."

The woman seemed impressed by her statement, "That's an interesting outlook. The name's Saytie. Valo-kas mercenary."

Nodding her head politely, she replied, "Amilee. Although I am commonly known as the Hawk."

"I know the Champion was a man, obviously that's not you, so... Hawk the Preyer?" Saytie noted in surprise. "I've heard many rumors of your skills. Of course some of them seem outlandish. Can you really fly?"

Taken aback a bit, Amilee's expression became thoughtful. "I can float for a few seconds, but fly? I don't know, I never tried."

A muffled cry for help sounded down the hall and the two women whipped their gazes toward it. Without prompting they both hurried and threw open the doors to a large chamber to see what the commotion was.

Amilee gasped aloud. The Divine Justinia, Leliana's charge and dearest friend was being held aloft by a group of mages dressed in Grey Warden armor. A very tall, very deformed man stood before her, holding out a glowing green orb that seemed to be drawing from her essence. Killing her.

"What the_ hell_ are you doing?" Amilee shouted at the wardens, starting forward.

"What's going on here," Saytie demanded at the same time.

The man looked over at the two of them with mild disgust and Justinia took that opportunity to knock the orb from his hand. Saytie made a grab for it and cried out in sudden pain as if the orb were burning her. Amilee rushed back to her side, her hand on the woman's arm just as the orb flared bright and the world went white all around them.

* * *

**Dun, dun, duuuuun! Reviews and Favs! Go to my profile and find the next part, The Hare and the Hatter. (Yes, all my titles are Alice themed but that's the extent of the reference) Hindsight: Cole was in fact at the Spire, wandering the upper floors, but as the dungeons were underground and littered with dispel wards, Amilee wasn't able to detect him. And it's a good thing too, you'll soon find out why.**


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